Here's the thread to discuss all questions or comments you have reguarding this week's lesson. You can post links to good practice pages you find, give tips, whatever you like as long as it's related to the lesson in some way.

ten ten is the normal hiragana with the two slash marks near the top.
It changes the sound to a harder version (and a different letter).
Check out near the end of the Grammar/Learn Hiragana page. I think
it's under tips or something like that.

I had a question about the study words. The word mouth near the end
has a different first character for 'ku' than I expected. Ku is like a sideways V
but the first symbol in kuchi is something else. Any one know if that's just a
typo?

I am getting a bit confused. Although all the dictionaries I have looked at show かう => kau => buy.
On the Pimsleur Japanese 1 tapes it sounds like かい => kai which is => shellfish. Is it just that the tape is old and it just sounds different? I was given a set of Pinsleur tapes Japanese 1-3, although there are no books for it. I was also given a copy of JFBP 1 w/Kana workbook. I am presently converting the tapes to mp3 for use with my iPod and scanning the JFBP.

if your computer doesn't have a language package, you'll have to download japanese ime. (to do that just go to a search engine, type "japanese ime download" and a link to download it for free should come up.)
after you download ime, there should be a language bar on your desktop (either at the top of the screen, or the bottom, near the start button. if there is not, right click on the grey bar by your start button > toolbars > language bar.
when the tool bar comes you'll be able to change the settign to japanese and then just type romaji and the kana/kanji will come up.
before you go through downloading the program, try to turn on your language toolbar and make sure you don't have a japanese package already in your computer.

nef919 wrote:I am getting a bit confused. Although all the dictionaries I have looked at show かう => kau => buy.On the Pimsleur Japanese 1 tapes it sounds like かい => kai which is => shellfish. Is it just that the tape is old and it just sounds different?

I'm using Pimsleur as well, so I'll take a swipe at this (although my knowledge of grammar is still pretty spotty).

The dictionary form of the verb "buy" is かう. What you're hearing on the tapes is not the dictionary form, but the polite or formal form of the verb: かいます. To make that form, you drop the う from the dictionary form and add い ＋ ます -> かいます. In other words, your tape is ok.

I was given a set of Pinsleur tapes Japanese 1-3, although there are no books for it.

There really aren't any, just some short booklets with some short grammatical and/or cultural notes.

I'm using Pimsleur as well, so I'll take a swipe at this (although my knowledge of grammar is still pretty spotty).

The dictionary form of the verb "buy" is かう. What you're hearing on the tapes is not the dictionary form, but the polite or formal form of the verb: かいます. To make that form, you drop the う from the dictionary form and add い ＋ ます -> かいます. In other words, your tape is ok.

There really aren't any, just some short booklets with some short grammatical and/or cultural notes.

Groovy, thanks.
Odd considering they refer you to them at the end of lesson 30 of Japanese 1.